Journeys of the Chosen One
by dragons51
Summary: What if Ash had someone with him when he started his journey? A guardian of sorts to help him. Follows much of the anime but not necessarily in order. Will post more with positive review.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects of Pokémon.**

**Prologue**

High up in the heavens, a meeting was taking place. Situated around the room was a selection of creatures. At the center of the room was large bowl of water through which they watched the birth of a child. They observed as the child opened his eyes to see his mother, her wide smile surrounded by her shoulder-length, reddish brown hair. They, unlike the humans in the hospital room, saw as a small symbol appear briefly on the child's shoulder before dissipating into his skin. The most majestic of the creatures, a large white horse-like being with green eyes and a gold crowning on its back spoke to all assembled.

"And so our chosen champion is born. This child will do great things, Fate has decreed it. Soon we will meet again to witness the birth of his guardian, the one who will watch for him as he fulfills his Destiny."

Some of the creatures left, having matters that required their attention. Some stayed a little longer to speak to one another before leaving. A few came closer to the bowl to speak to the large white creature who continued to watch the boy intently. A small pink creature that resembled a baby with a long tail flew around the others and spoke excitedly, "This is going to be so life changing, Arceus. Finally the balance of life will be restored."

"Indeed, Mew," replied the large white creature, watching as the boy was wrapped in a blanket. "This is what we have waited for, for several centuries. "

* * *

Far below, in the hospital on the outskirts of Viridian city, Delia Ketchum held her newborn son. Her husband Alexander stood next to her bed with his hand around her shoulders. Together they bathed in the happiness of the little boy who would soon be named Ash Ketchum.

* * *

A/N: So this is a story that will follow as many of Ash's journeys as i can fit in but from the viewpoint of his friend and guardian. I will also be posting chapter 1 with this and only if I get enough positive review will I continue to upload chapters.


	2. Chapter 1: Starter Day

**Chapter 1-Starter Day and the Trip to Viridian**

Ten Years Later

"Ash! Wake up, you Snorlax," a voice came. Today we get our starters and begin our journeys."

"Hmm ten more minutes…" replied the raven haired boy.

SPLASH

"ARRRGH"

Ash bolted upright, looking around wildly. Upon seeing his brown haired friend of ten years holding a bucket he narrowed his eyes. "What did you do that for?"

"Well how else am I supposed to get you up in time for breakfast before we go over to the lab?" the grinning Kyle said cheekily.

"I'm sure you could have found a dryer way to do it. Wait a minute…ITS STARTER DAY!" He jumped up and started putting on his clothes quickly.

"Haha I'll wait for you downstairs," said Kyle, closing the door behind him.

"Hello Kyle, would you like some breakfast as well?" asked Delia as he entered the kitchen and sat down.

"No thanks Mrs. Ketchum, I had some before I came here this morning."

Kyle had of course eaten shortly after getting up as he did every morning. He had followed the same routine almost every day for the last 4 years. He put on his black pants and royal blue t-shirt with a blue-trimmed black vest. After breakfast he went to Professor Oak's lab to study different aspects of Pokémon, and occasionally he went on field trips into nearby fields and wooded areas to see what he could experience firsthand.

Ash had spent most of that same time sleeping in then running around and playing with the Pokémon Oak had to study at his lab. He was, of course, forced to do some studying due to his friend's bookish nature. Kyle told him it would do him good when he began his journey but Ash never had much inclination for study and so he learned most of the basics.

"Mmm smells great mom…but I gotta hurry! I want to get to the lab and begin my journey," said Ash as he came in wearing blue jeans and a black shirt and began wolfing down a plate full of eggs and bacon. He finished quickly and grabbed some toast in one hand and threw on his bag with the other. He practically flew to the door and put on his blue vest and signature red hat. "Come on Kyle, let's go. Hurry up!"

"Calm down Ash, we have some time still," he replied as he followed his energetic friend out the door. They made their way up the hill towards Pallet Town's largest building at a brisk pace.

Upon arriving, they found Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson and Grace, a tall, blonde girl from the town. It was no secret that Ash and Gary each had a crush on Grace and there had been more than a few scuffles over it. Each attempted to show up the other at every turn. It was also occasionally one of the ways to entice Ash to study more; that Grace might be more impressed with him if he was more knowledgeable.

Gary and Ash glared at each other and looked about ready to make snide comments when Professor Oak opened the door and ushered them inside. He led them to a table where four pokéballs rested. None of the new trainers said anything as they wanted the Professor to explain what was in the fourth ball.

Kyle looked over and saw Ash staring at the fourth pokéball with an intense look of surprise and curiosity. He resolved to ask Ash what it was about later.

Professor Oak stepped up and began," Well I won't keep you all in suspense for too long. As you are aware it is rare for four trainers to be starting at the same time so I must provide four starters. I only have one each of Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander, however. The fourth contains a Pokémon that would be quite a challenge to raise as it distrusts humans. However I believe that one of you might have what it takes to bring him out of this shell he has hidden in. I would like to ask if any of you wish to begin with this one rather than a proper starter."

Gary spoke out loudly," Why on earth would I choose a Pokémon that won't obey to begin my journey? That's not productive to my goals so I don't think it will be me."

Grace remained quiet with a pensive look on her face. Kyle also remained quiet though he was looking at Ash who was considering the ball with the same look from earlier.

"I'll do it," Ash blurted out suddenly. Gary and Grace both turned to him in surprise but Professor Oak's smile seemed to grow slightly.

Seeing the inquisitive looks all around Ash explained," I think I can do it and to be honest I don't think I could choose between the normal starters. This gives me another option." He went over to the table and picked up the pokéball. Gary, Grace and Kyle all noticed Professor Oak step back discreetly and did the same.

"Go, Pokéball!"

A beam of white light later and a small yellow Pokémon with a lightning bolt tail materialized on the floor in front of Ash. Pikachu looked around and spotted the one who had released him. His eyes narrowed and his cheeks began sparking.

"Awwww crap…" said Ash backing away quickly.

"PIKA-CHUUUUU," Pikachu screamed as he let out a potent Thundershock straight at Ash, who fell right to the ground.

When the lightning subsided, Ash moaned in pain before pulling himself up slowly with the help of the table as no one else seemed inclined to go near him for now. He straightened up and looked at Pikachu with a small glare but didn't say anything about it. Pikachu looked back at him with a little less hostility, seeing that he wasn't going to yell. Then suddenly Pikachu's hostile look turned mostly to curiosity. Kyle filed that away as well-something strange was going on between those two.

Seeing that the excitement of Pikachu was wearing down, Professor Oak approached the table once more. "Now the three of you will choose from the starters. Gary would you like to begin?"

Gary stepped up and said," I have thought it over for a while and I think I would like.." He picked up a ball and threw it high. "Squirtle!"

A small blue Pokémon with a short curled tail and a brown shell came out and looked at Gary. He tilted his head curiously then nodded and went to stand in front of his new trainer.

"Now you, Grace," Professor Oak said.

Grace stepped up and looked at the remaining two. She seemed to hesitate only for a moment before grabbing one and tossing it up. "I choose Bulbasaur."

Out of her ball came the little green Pokémon on four stubby legs with a large unbloomed flower on its back. Bulbasaur looked around before skipping over to Grace, who held out her arms for it to jump into. "Bulba-saur"

Kyle looked at the last ball noting that Grace had made the strategic decision of the Pokémon that would do well against the two first gyms in Kanto. This left him with the fire type Charmander who would be at a disadvantage to start out. He didn't mind so much though as there was a distinctive lack of fire Pokémon in Kanto and this solved trying to find one. He picked up the ball and tossed it saying," I guess you get to come with me, Charmander."

Out came the little orange Pokémon with his tail flame burning brightly. He came over to Kyle's side and looked up at him. "Chaaar," he said with a determined look.

Kyle seemed to hear "I will do my best," in that syllable.

"Excellent," Professor Oak said going over to another table. He came back with his arms laden then set some things down. He started handing out little red devices to the four of them. "These are my invention, the pokedex. It will be your best friend on your journeys. Not only is it your identification, but it will also tell you all about any Pokémon you catch, give you general information on what you see and record any new Pokémon you scan. And to go along with these, here are some pokéballs." He gave them each a handful to put in their bags or onto their belt clips.

Grace and Kyle had no belt clips but he resolved to get one in the first town, along with some other gear and gadgets that might be useful.

They all stayed silent for a moment before Gary broke it. "I don't know about you guys but I have training to do and Pokémon to catch and badges to earn so I'm outta here. Bye Gramps, I'll keep in touch." He recalled Squirtle and headed out the door.

Grace looked around and said," He does have a point, we don't need to dilly dally all day if we want to accomplish something. I'll see you guys around sometime. Bye."

"Good luck," the other three chorused as she too recalled her Pokémon and left the lab.

"Professor, do you mind if I borrow a couple of books for the journey? I can return them or exchange them through the transporters at the Pokémon centers if you need them back," said Kyle.

"Not at all, take what you need."

Kyle recalled Charmander and went through a door nearby, heading for the library.

Professor Oak turned to Ash and Pikachu and noticed they were still looking at each other curiously. "So Ash, why did you choose that pokéball? Your explanation seemed to be lacking something…"

Ash pondered this question for a minute. "Well it's hard to explain but when I came in, I felt this weird tug inside me and it was aimed at Pikachu's ball. I knew I had to be the one to take that ball. I trust Pikachu even though I just met him today."

"Pika?"

"Ya really," said Ash absently.

Professor Oak's eyebrows flew straight up into his grey hair and Pkachu looked shocked. Ash looked at them for a moment then turned to Pikachu. "HEY WAIT A MINUTE! I UNDERSTOOD THAT! Say something else."

"_Your hair is a mess and you stink so obviously you didn't shower this morning."_

"Well no I didn't I was too excited for today and wanted to be here on time. And I don't smell that bad!"

"That's amazing Ash," said Professor Oak, looking giddy. "I have never heard of this happening before."

"Neither have I," came a voice from the doorway. Kyle came in, having taken only a minute to grab the books he wanted so he had seen the whole ordeal. "And I don't think anyone else should find out unless you want to cause a riot of questions and people asking you to translate through Pikachu.

Professor Oak and Ash both looked surprised at this logic. "I guess so."

"Anyways shall we be off?" said Kyle. "I'd like to make Viridian city by morning."

"Ya let's go! I want to sign up for the Pokémon league. Will you help me with that Pikachu?"

"_Well…maybe I can be convinced but I won't tell you how. That's something you'll have to figure out yourself. And you need to take a bath before I even consider going anywhere with you."_

"Oh come on…do I even get a hint? And really, I don't smell that bad!"

"Well actually Ash," said Kyle tentatively, "You do kinda stink."

Pikachu looked smugly at Ash who just looked grumpy. "Fine I'll take a bath before we leave."

* * *

Ash, Kyle and Pikachu (who had vehemently refused to be returned to his ball) travelled together down the road towards Viridian. Kyle kept glancing at Ash and then Pikachu, remembering how he had assumed he understood what Charmander had said. He had to be sure so he looked at Ash and steeled himself.

"Ash, I know I said this is exactly what you wanted to prevent but can I ask you a few questions?"

Ash looked at him surprised and replied, "Ya sure. I don't mind questions from you. I know how big an opportunity to discover something this is. What do you wanna know?"

"Well, when Pikachu speaks, do you hear the syllables he makes or do you just hear what he means to say?"

"I suppose I do hear what everyone else hears but I just feel that I know exactly what he wants to tell me."

"Hmm…" that confirmed what he felt earlier. Kyle had heard the 'Chaaar' but there had been an underlying echo of the meaning behind it.

"What's up?"

"Well I didn't want to mention it at the lab but, when Charmander came to stand beside me I got the feeling like he was saying he would do his best."

"_Yes, he was."_

"Pikachu said that he did say that. I guess you can understand Charmander in the same way I can understand Pikachu. Why don't you call him out and see?"

"Ok let's do this," he took Charmander's pokéball out of his bag and threw it up. "Come on out, Charmander."

Charmander materialized in front of him and looked around. "Chaar?"

Kyle heard and echo of "_Where's the challenger_?"

He tried to respond carefully. "There's no challenger, Charmander. I wanted to see if I could understand you. I guess I can…this is great!"

"_You can understand what I'm saying?"_

"Yup. Do you want to walk with us to Viridian or do you want to rest in your ball?"

"_I think I want to walk. It would be nice to make conversation,"_ said Charmander.

"Alright then." Kyle put the pokéball back into his bag and they walked on. "So Charmander, do you think you can help me with the first gym? You'd be at a disadvantage but I think we can work on getting you some new moves that could help you gain an advantage."

"_Well I guess so but what type is the gym? And what moves could I learn?"_

"Well technically the first gym is a ground type gym but that one is in Viridian city and it's closed for the time being but the one in Pewter city is a rock type gym. I think we can teach you a fighting type move or a steel type move like Metal Claw. We could even try for Dig but the choice is yours.

"_Well I think I want to learn all three but maybe we could start with Metal Claw. That sounds within my capabilities. How do I learn that one?"_

"Well I suppose we should start with building up the strength of your claws. After that the move should start to come naturally."

"_Ok I'll work on that."_

"Great. Let me know if you need any help."

Charmander ran ahead a little bit and found a rock. He started battering it with his claws, pausing here and there to work on his technique. All the while he was digging in with his claws and focusing on making them harder. He wanted to do his trainer proud.

Ash watched the exchange with interest then turned to Pikachu. "How about you, Pikachu? Will you help me with the first gym?"

"_Like I said, I'll only help if you can convince me. And my only hint is that it requires something simple. Also you better have a strategy because there is no way I'm going up against rock types without some sort of plan."_

"Grrr fine I'll work on a strategy. And what simple thing would convince you? I'm sure your simple isn't simple for me," Ash grumbled on.

Kyle looked on in amusement as Ash argued with Pikachu but then suddenly Ash broke off and stopped. Kyle looked around and spotted some Pidgeys a ways ahead. He called Charmander over to him. "Think you can take on a Pidgey for me?"

"Ya come on Pikachu, let's get a Pidgey!" exclaimed Ash.

Pikachu ran off and up a nearby tree, seemingly taking a nap on a branch. Ash looked thoroughly sour and said, "Fine if you won't help, I'll catch one myself." He slinked off towards a Pidgey on the left side of the field.

"_Good luck with that,"_ snorted Pikachu from his branch.

"_Ok Kyle I'll battle one for you."_

"That's great Charmander. Let's go for that one on the right. It looks fast so be careful and be ready to dodge quickly. Start this off with an Ember, Charmander.

Charmander took careful aim and spewed some fireballs from his mouth at one of the Pidgeys. It saw the attack at the last moment and squawked, taking to the air but a single fireball hit its wing. Pidgey turned towards the offending Pokémon and went into a dive.

"Charmander, dodge that Tackle and Scratch it as it passes.

Charmander waited until just before he was hit then dodged to the left, swinging his claws at the passing wing. Pidgey became unstable in its flight before straightening out and coming around for another pass.

"Charmander, throw a Smokescreen in front of you then move and hit Pidgey the same way you did before."

Charmander spewed the smoke in front of himself and moved to the right to wait for Pidgey to pass through. To both their surprise, Pidgey came through the smoke and rammed into Charmander, sending Charmander into a nearby bush.

"How on earth did…oh of course! Pidgey's Keen Eye ability, how could I forget! Charmander are you ok?"

"_I'm fine. It takes more than one Tackle to take me down."_

"Ok then let's hit Pidgey with another Ember when it swings around."

Pidgey was coming in for another pass and it swooped down low. Charmander's tail blazed a little brighter as another Ember flew from his mouth, blasting a fast flying Pidgey head-on. Pidgey fell onto the ground and struggled to get up.

Kyle threw a pokéball at it and waited with bated breath as it shook for what seemed like ages, before the ball grew still. "Alright! A Pidgey. Great job, Charmander. Let's get you some rest for now. Return." The red beam shot out of Charmander's ball and swallowed him up. "Now where did Ash get off to?"

Meanwhile, Ash was sneaking up on a Pidgey with his jacket in hand. The Pidgey turned to look at him, a bored look on its face. He jumped at it, his jacket spread wide but it took off and turned around. It regarded him for a moment before throwing a light gust that threw him back into a tree.

"Oww…" he moaned as he got up carefully. He spotted another bird off in the distance and decided to see if he could weaken it from afar. He found a nice rock on the ground and threw it over at the bird. It was hit and squawked loudly, turning to look at him in anger.

Upon seeing that this was not a Pidgey, but a Spearow, he tried to remember what the book he read had said about them. He knew it wasn't anything good so he backed away quickly and jumped into some bushes, before moving stealthily back the way he had come. Behind him he heard a lot of flapping and assumed the Spearow had found friends to help him. Ash doubled his crawling speed, muttering grumpily under his breath about stubborn Pokémon that didn't listen.

He managed to get far enough away that he no longer heard wings but he also had a couple of scrapes from his time in the bushes. He risked a quick peek and, seeing nothing, got up and strolled casually back to where Pikachu and Kyle were waiting. He spotted along the way, a Rattata and in anger, threw a pokéball at it.

The ball shook twice and then stopped, indicating a quick surrender of the Pokémon inside. With a bit of a better mood he continued his trek back.

It was a dirty and scraped Ash that re-joined his Pokémon and his friend. When they inquired about his little adventure he simply said that the Pidgey left before he could get close and that he decided to look around some more before coming back. "And I caught myself a Rattata on the way too!"

When asked about his injuries he stated, "Well you see, I tripped and fell a bit. Now what are we still doing here? Onwards to Viridian city!"

Kyle and Pikachu shared an amused look at the transparent lie behind his back and set off after him.

* * *

They camped out in a small field late that afternoon. Kyle called out Pidgey and Charmander and through Charmander, he learned that Pidgey would be happily tagging along on the condition that they have a rematch at a later date. Charmander had been quick to agree to this.

Ash, meanwhile, had discovered that the Rattata he had caught was pretty much a lazy rodent who wanted to tag along as long as she got free food. Ash resolved to send her back to Professor Oak when they got to Viridian. The professor could study her and she would get plenty of food that way.

They sat around the fire for a while, getting acquainted with their Pokémon before settling down to rest with Rattata, Pidgey and Charmander returned to their pokéballs. Everyone was fast asleep later and nobody noticed the flash of a pokéball opening in Kyle's bag, nor did they notice when Charmander climbed out of the bag and ran out of the field. Pikachu however was a little restless that night and did notice when Charmander returned himself to the bag and pokéball a few hours later, a satisfied smile on his face.

The next morning, Kyle noticed that his bag seemed to have moved a bit during the night but when he checked, everything was where it was supposed to be and so he put it out of his mind. They packed up their stuff and headed further up the path towards the city. A little ways on however, they found a Spearow on the road, seemingly waiting for them.

It screeched at Ash and Pikachu looked over at him, translating, "_It says it wants a proper fight with you. What did you do to this thing? It seems kinda pissed off."_

Ash paled, "Well, you see…the thing is…"

"_I could always ask the Spearow for its version of events…"_

"No! Ok well I didn't catch the Pidgey so I got angry and threw a rock at something that turned out to be this Spearow. I realized my mistake and ran off through the bushes," he finished, embarrassed.

Pikachu burst out laughing, as did Charmander. Kyle tried to hold back but cracked a smile. "Well it looks like you get a proper chance at the Spearow now."

Ash looked less than happy at this idea. "So will you battle, Pikachu?"

"_No,"_ replied Pikachu. "_You have yet to find the simple way to get my help."_

"Fine I'll use Rattata. Come on out!" He threw the ball into the air and released the little purple rodent who looked at the Spearow, then at Ash, then back at the Spearow before walking over to a patch of grass and settling down.

Ash facepalmed and recalled Rattata as Spearow ran out of patience and flew at him. His eyes widened in fear and he jumped out of the way and began running in circles, dodging pecks from Spearow.

"Pikachu, come on, I'm being attacked here and you aren't going to help?"

"_Nope."_

"Pikachu! Argh please, just get me out of this mess."

"_Alright. Take this, bird."_

Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he let out a thundershock into the Spearow's face. It fell out of the air then got up and flew at Pikachu, who used his superior speed to jump on a nearby tree then backflip over the bird and release another thundershock into its back. This time Spearow did not get back up and Ash threw a pokéball at it. It shook a number of times before becoming still.

Ash carefully came over and picked it up. "Alright! I got a Spearow! Thanks Pikachu. What made you help anyways?"

"_You said please."_

Ash smacked himself in the forehead. Charmander translated to Kyle and they both burst into laughter at Ash's misfortune.

* * *

A/N: So this is the first chapter. Tell me what you think of a slightly smarter Ash and of his friend helping him out. I realize they seem equally special but Ash will still have some of the unique things happen to him. It wouldnt be much of a guardian job for Kyle if he didnt also have something special he could do.


	3. Chapter 2: Misty and Viridian

Chapter 2-Meeting Misty and Viridian City

The pair continued up the remainder of the road towards Viridian but decided first to stop at a nearby river and look for some water type Pokémon. There were lots of water types and their evolutions in Kanto though so they weren`t too set on waiting around for one. They were in luck however, when a Poliwag came out of the bushes by the water.

Ash jumped forward. "Alright! I this will make a perfect second to help with the Pewter gym. Thundershock, Pikachu!"

Pikachu jumped forward and launched a solid thundershock just as a series of stars came flying out from behind the bush. The combination attack left the Poliwag knocked out on the river bank.

Ash and Kyle looked at each other confused until a young girl with orange hair put up in a single ponytail on the side of her head came out of the bush, a brown star with a jewel in its center by her side. Ash whipped out his Pokedex to identify it but Kyle was familiar with most of the Pokémon in Kanto and knew it was in fact a Staryu. What he was more curious about was the move it used on Poliwag and decided to ask this girl about it later.

"Who are you and why are you trying to take my capture?" she said, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Ash.

"What!" yelled Ash. "Your capture? This Poliwag came out of the bushes. It was fair game!"

"I was following it for a few minutes so I saw it first. Therefore it was mine!" she yelled back.

"Hey now, both of you calm down," said Kyle. "We can work this out. Now who are you, Miss?"

The girl turned her glare to him and replied, "My name is Misty and I'm a water type Pokémon specialist. I'm searching for as many as I can find and this one is mine."

"Ok well I'm Kyle and this is Ash. We're beginner trainers from Pallet Town. If you were really following it then I guess we could concede it to you. After all there are many water types in this region and we can always find another. Right, Ash?" he said, turning to look at Ash sharply. He figured Ash would be a little more hot headed about this.

Ash glared at him then turned back to look at Misty. "Well…"

"We could always have a battle if you want to continue to argue with me," said Misty with a smirk as she pulled a pokéball off her belt. Kyle knew she was no rookie trainer but it was too late to stop Ash.

"You're on! Let's go Pikachu!"

Pikachu took his place in front of Ash who flipped his hat back in preparation for his first trainer battle. Kyle resigned himself to watching Ash get his rear handed to him by the more experienced trainer.

Misty smirked wider and threw her pokéball. "Starmie, spotlight!"

Ash pulled out his pokedex and scanned the larger purple evolution of Staryu.

Kyle stepped to the side and assumed the position of referee. "This will be a one on one battle between Misty and Ash for the right of capture of Poliwag. Begin."

"Alright Pikachu, we have the advantage so let's start strong with a Thundershock!"

"Alright." said Pikachu. He sparked his cheeks and fired a Thundershock at Starmie.

"How predictable," said Misty with a bored expression. "Starmie use Rapid Spin to dodge and close in. Then use Harden and Tackle."

Starmie took off sideways in a spin at high speeds, completely avoiding the Thundershock. The before Ash could call out another order, Starmie turned metallic using Harden right before crashing into Pikachu and sending him flying backwards.

Kyle kept her clever use of Harden and Tackle as another side note. It was quite ingenious and he wanted to see if he could do something similar.

"Grr alright we can get her Pikachu! Use Quick Attack then Tail Whip."

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. It seemed to her that he was even more inexperienced than she had originally thought. "Harden," was her only order.

Starmie turned metallic again as it used Harden for the second time.

"Perfect Pikachu, you're close enough. Use Thundershock point blank!" said Ash with his own smirk.

Misty's other eyebrow jumped up to join the first as Starmie was jolted with the powerful Thundershock. It was a pretty powerful blast of electricity. Still, she wasn't new at this. "Starmie use Water Pulse to push Pikachu away then use Recover.

Starmie's Water Pulse launched Pikachu back across the battlefield then it glowed white as all the damage from the Thundershock was undone.

"Now use Rapid Spin to launch Pikachu into the air and use Water Gun while it can't dodge."

"Come on Pikachu, get up and use Quick Attack to get away," said Ash desperately, trying to think of a new plan.

Pikachu stood but instead of dodging he seemed to turn around in a circle and Quick Attack directly into Starmie's Rapid Spin which sent him into the air. A quick Water Gun later and Pikachu was in Ash's arms, knocked out.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Misty is the winner of this match," said Kyle dutifully.

"Alright, fine. Take your stupid Poliwag," grumbled Ash, cradling Pikachu in his arms gently.

"Thank you," said Misty, pulling an empty pokéball out. Unfortunately it appeared that while the battle was on, the Poliwag had woken up and wandered away. "Hey, what gives? My Poliwag is gone…"

"I don't see how that's my fault," said Ash. "Now, which way to Viridian? I need to get Pikachu to the Pokémon center."

"It's back up the path and to the left. Now go on, I need to spend another week trying to find a good water Pokémon to capture," said Misty dismissively. Ash immediately dashed up the path and was gone before Kyle could say anything.

"Well excuse me Misty but could I twist your arm and ask you to come with me to Viridian? I'd like to discuss some things with you," Kyle asked as politely as possible.

Misty seemed to observe him for a moment and seeing him sincere, she agreed. She pulled a bike out from behind a nearby tree and they made their way towards Viridian.

"What did you want to talk about then?" she asked as they reached the road.

"Well first I noticed that there was an attack you used on Poliwag that I didn't recognize. What was that?"

"Oh that was Swift. It a medium power attack that never misses its target. Quite handy, and since it's a normal type move, there are quite a few Pokémon that can learn it. You interested?"

"Ya I've got a Charmander and a Pidgey. Can either of them learn it?"

Misty thought on this for a moment. "I'm sure they both could but I think Pidgey would have an easier time learning it than Charmander," she said eventually. "I could probably help teach it to Pidgey if I had more time but it's not that far to Viridian and I do have Pokémon to try to catch."

Kyle considered a proposal for her but he did have more questions in the meantime and decided to ask them. "Well anyways, how long did it take you to think up that combination of Harden and Tackle? It was pretty good and I'm feeling incompetent that I never thought of it myself…"

"Well actually that idea came from a battle I saw a couple months ago. I've only used it once or twice," she said with a wry smile.

"Oh ok then. Hmm…oh here's a simpler question. Where are you from?"

"Well I come from Cerulean City," she explained. "I left because I had enough of my older sisters looking down on me…" she got a faraway look as though remembering something she had strived to forget. She snapped out of it a minute later and quickly continued. "But I'd rather not talk about that."

Kyle nodded understandingly. Seeing that they were approaching Viridian quickly, he took a chance and ran his proposal by her. "Misty, I'd like to offer you an invitation. You said you wanted to master water Pokémon and there are lots around the region. What say you join us? Think of all the Pokémon you could catch going all over…and I'd like to have someone like you along who I can depend on for any advice I might need. Will you come with us?"

Misty seemed completely taken aback by the offer. She thought about it and said, "This is kind of a big decision to make so how about you give me the day to think about it? If I make up my mind by tonight I'll let you know and we can set off in the morning. Just be sure to talk to that friend of yours first. He might not take too kindly to me after I beat him so effortlessly."

Kyle cracked a bit of a smile. "Serves him right for being so stubborn about one Pokémon. I mean, there are 16 water type or partial water type lines in Kanto and he wants to battle over a somewhat common one."

"Really, 16? I didn't know that…" she said, perturbed that a new trainer knew more about the region's Pokémon than she did.

Seeing her look he reassured her, "I don't know too much about them, just that there are 16. I found out when I was doing research on the region to find out what types would be good to capture and where to find them. I'm very strategic about my team. I'm going to try to only catch maybe 10 or 12 from any region I go to, making sure I vary the types to cover anything I might encounter."

Once he saw that she was now focused on the information he had dumped on her, he excused himself to do some shopping to stock up on supplies. But first he had to find Ash so he headed for the Pokémon center.

* * *

Kyle had no difficulty locating the Pokémon center as it was the biggest building around and it was situated in the very middle of the town. It had a large red dome roof with a pokéball symbol on the front of the building.

Upon entering, he spotted Ash on the phone with Professor Oak. He came up behind him and addressed the professor, "Hi professor, how are you?"

"Oh hello Kyle, Ash was just telling me of an incredible thing he saw on the way here."

Kyle turned to Ash with a raised eyebrow. "What was this incredible thing? Was it a Pokémon?"

"Yeah! It was a big gold and orange bird with some colourful wings. Here," he dug out his pokedex and opened the history, showing the picture Dexter had captured. "See?"

"I've never see the like of it except in drawings," Professor Oak offered, scratching his head. "If I remember correctly, it's-"

"A sight said to bless trainers with good luck," Kyle finished for him. He vaguely remembered a passage about it in one of the professor's books.

"That's right."

Ash looked at the video phone screen surprised. "It's good luck to see this Pokémon?"

"Yes it is Ash, but if you'll excuse me I do have a few things to attend to here so I'll let you enjoy the sights of Viridian. I wish both of you luck on your trip through the forest."

"Thanks, Professor," said the boys together.

Kyle turned to Ash now. "So how's Pikachu doing?" he said as Ash ended the video call.

Ash's expression turned somewhat sombre. "Pikachu's pretty beat up but Nurse Joy says he'll be back to normal soon. I just can't believe I lost so bad with a type advantage…"

"I can explain why you lost if you're interested." Seeing Ash throw him a questioning look, he said "you lost because you were stubborn and didn't think."

Ash's cheeks reddened with anger and he opened his mouth to retort but Kyle cut him off before he could start, "Let me elaborate."

Ash nodded, his eyes narrowed.

"You battled a trainer who has had Pokémon quite a bit longer than you and you didn't even make a plan. You went right into a battle assuming you would win because you were overconfident and you underestimated her. You also should just have let it go when she said she had been following that Poliwag for a while. It isn't like there is a shortage of water Pokémon in the region…"

Ash calmed down somewhat and sat down to think it over. Eventually he nodded in agreement. "Maybe if I get stronger and I meet her again someday I can win and regain my pride."

Kyle saw an opportunity and tried to lead Ash towards it. "So you would definitely want to have a rematch someday?"

"Of course I would."

"That's great because I kinda…um…invited her to join us on our journey," he said tentatively, trying to gauge Ash's reaction. It didn't take long for his thoughts on it to become obvious. His face changed colours quite quickly.

"You did WHAT! I don't know if I can stand having her around permanently. She was rude and um…what's the word…"

"Condescending?" Kyle ventured a guess.

"Yeah, condescending."

"Well, to be honest, it might not have been very nice of her but she did have some good points to make. Besides if she does come then she can offer helpful advice on things we encounter and she can fulfill her dreams just like you are trying to do. Would it be fair to deny her the opportunity? And you can get your rematch down the road."

Ash became resigned after Kyle played the 'being fair' card and perked up when he mentioned the rematch. "Alright fine, she can come. But don't expect me to like it."

"Great, thank you for being open minded. She's going to take the day to decide whether or not she wants to come and let me know later tonight. Anyways I have some shopping to do. You wanna come?"

"No I'll wait for Pikachu."

"Ok then can you give Nurse Joy my Pokémon when she comes back?" said Kyle, handing over Pidgey and Charmander's pokéballs, "and get us a room for the night."

"Sure, have fun."

Kyle headed out the door and towards the pokemart on the east side of town. He was happy he had saved money for a long time. First stop was the aisle for supplies to get their Pokémon through the forest. He stocked up on potions and status healers, especially antidotes. He also picked up a few more pokéballs before going to get some food. He picked up enough Pokémon food for their 4 Pokémon for 4 days and some extra in case they caught some more. He also picked up some human meals for that same time and some extra in case Misty agreed to come along.

Finishing that he moved on to the clothing section and picked up a nice pair of black gloves with good grip and a wide black hat to keep with his dark fashion sense. He also picked up a green shirt, a red shirt and a nice deep purple shirt just to have some variety. He also found a rack with maps and grabbed one of those along with a compass. Finally he made his way to the trainer section.

There he picked up two trainer belts, one for his active Pokémon and one for his other side filled with empty pokéballs for convenience. He continued to look around and found a strong rope that might come in handy. He also found a secluded corner that contained move booklets. These contained instructions on how to teach Pokémon a certain move and which Pokémon were capable of learning it. They didn't have very good selection but he did find one for Steel Wing for Pidgey and Spearow, one for Brick Break for Charmander and one for Iron Tail for Pikachu to use if he wanted it. He went to the counter and had them ring up his purchases.

Shopping done, he returned to the Pokémon center and collected his Pokémon. He would have discussed his move booklets with Ash but he was happily collecting Pikachu from Nurse Joy and went to the room. Kyle instead made his way outside and to the edge of town to work with his Pokémon.

"Charmander, Pidgey, come on out." When they both materialized in front of him he said, "Alright guys I'd like to keep you learning new moves. Good variety can be key. Charmander I'd like you to continue to work on Metal Claw for now."

"Watch this," said Charmander. He walked over to a boulder and slashed at it. His claws glowed and cut the boulder in half.

"Wow great job, Charmander. When did you learn to do that?" Kyle congratulated his Pokémon though he was very confused.

"When we stopped to camp last night, I went to practice until I got it," he replied, digging a toe into the ground and looking down.

Kyle was touched by his dedication. "Well I'm very proud of you but in the future if you want to keep practicing, you only need to ask. You don't have to sneak off to do it. Anyways I guess that means you're moving on to Brick Break. Let me see…" he pulled out the booklet on that move. "This says that the best way to learn Brick Break is to put your hands together and smash down while focusing on your inner energy. You should practice in the air before you try to hit anything or you might hurt your hands for no reason. Any questions?"

"No I think I got it, I'll go practice."

"Great. Pidgey I think for you we should work on increasing your flight speed so this is what we'll do…"

* * *

By the time the sun started to set, they had made good progress. Charmander had learned Brick Break but it was not yet strong enough to do any lasting damage. He made his way back to the center and remembered he had yet to register for the Pokémon league. He approached Nurse Joy and asked about registration.

"Name?" she inquired politely.

"Kyle Foster"

"Age?"

"10."

"May I see your pokedex, please?"

He handed it over to her and she placed it into the machine in front of her. She typed a few things before pulling it out and handing it back to him. "Ok you're all set to go. Collect 8 badges from gyms around the region and present them at the Indigo League to enter."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy."

"So you think you can pull it off and get all the badges? You really are serious about this aren't you?" came a familiar voice from behind him and he turned to find Misty standing there.

"I hope I can but I could use all the help I can find," he said hopefully.

She chuckled. "Well you can count on my help. I'm in. I'll meet you here in the morning for breakfast and we can set off." She turned and went out the door.

Kyle smiled at her retreating form and headed towards the room they were borrowing for the night. He collected Ash and Pikachu and they went in search of the cafeteria. As they sat down to chow down, Kyle brought up Misty again.

"She's agreed to join us. I will ask you to be nice because she can teach us things if you stay polite."

"I don't want her help with anything," said Ash forcefully. "Pikachu and I can do just about anything on our own, right buddy?"

"Well to some degree."

"Oh? So what strategy did you come up with for the Pewter gym?" asked Kyle, smirking at Ash.

Ash blanched. "Well…umm…I have some ideas, I'm just umm…fine-tuning them."

Both Pikachu and Kyle looked at him exasperatedly. "I didn't think you had anything but here, I picked this up today," said Kyle, digging out the Iron Tail booklet from his bag and handing it to Ash.

Ash opened it and smiled. "This will work. You think you can learn Iron Tail, Pikachu?"

Pikachu gave him a look that said 'You dare doubt my abilities?'

"Alright, Alright, just checking," said Ash nervously.

They finished their meal and walked back to their room, anticipating a pleasant night and easy trip the next morning. But they were in for quite a surprise.

* * *

Up above the town, in a large hot air balloon, two adult figures and a Pokémon made sinister plans. This was made more interesting as the Pokémon spoke English.

"Well Jessie, your plan to drop down from higher up was worth the delay," said the purple haired man evilly. "They haven't detected us and now the Pokémon in that Pokémon center are ours for the taking."

"Of course it was worth it. We have a reputation to uphold and we will make sure they respect the name of Team Rocket," replied the pink haired woman.

"And when we snatch them, everyone will know I'm the top cat," said Meowth.

"We know, Meowth, we know," said the two together in a tone that suggested Meowth said this much too often.

They threw a pokéball each into the center through the window on the roof, and then proceeded to slide down a rope after them. The pokéballs broke open to reveal a small purple snake known as Ekans and a floating purple ball known as Koffing. Koffing immediately used a Smokescreen to cover their entrance while Ekans assumed a threatening pose as it was trained to do.

The only one in the front room was Nurse Joy. "Hey who are you and what do you want?" she screamed, hoping to get the attention of someone else in the center.

"She doesn't know who we are?" said the woman, coming forward out of the smoke.

"Let's introduce ourselves then, shall we?"

* * *

A hall down from the invasion, Ash and Kyle both heard glass breaking and went to investigate. When Nurse Joy screamed, they both broke into a run. They reached the edge of the main room just in time to see two figures in white shirts with a red R on them start speaking in turn.

"To protect the world from devastation," started the woman.

"To unite all people peoples within our nation," continued the man.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the starts above.

"Jessie," the woman introduced herself.

"James," put in the man.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight."

The Meowth jumped down in between them and said," Meeooowth, that's right."

They all posed in for a few seconds then James stepped forward and spoke. "As you are incapable of fighting, surrender all the Pokémon in the building to us and we walk away.

Ash and Kyle shared a look before both ran forward, Pikachu jumping in front of Nurse Joy and Kyle releasing Charmander alongside of him. "You aren't touching the Pokémon here," said Ash.

"Yeah, we will battle you over them," Kyle put in.

"You think to challenge us?" Jessie's eyes flashed in amusement.

"Let's show them what a mistake that is," said James. "Koffing, go!"

"Ekans, attack!" Jessie echoed.

Koffing spewed more smoke out, and then went into a Tackle attack. Ekans jumped forward in a Bite attack.

"Charmander, use Ember on Ekans," Kyle ordered quickly.

"Pikachu, let's use Quick Attack on Koffing," Ash backed up his order.

"You got it," they both said.

Pikachu charged forward at Koffing and knocked him back towards James while Charmander spat flame balls at Ekans, causing it to hiss in pain and fall back towards Jessie.

"Hmm, let's focus on the Charmander, James," said Jessie. "It will probably be more of a threat than a useless electric rat.

"Hey!" cried Ash. "Pikachu show them you aren't useless. Use Thundershock."

"With pleasure."

"Ekans, go underground."

"Koffing use Sludge on Charmander."

Ekans, who was the target of Pikachu's Thundershock, dove into the ground in front of it, evading the attack. At the same time, Koffing spat sticky purple goo at Charmander, hitting him in the face and rendering him blind long enough for Ekans to use Dig on him. The super-effective ground move took its toll on him and he was thrown backwards, out of commission.

Kyle ran forward. "Charmander, return." The red beam swallowed him up. "Ash, this battle is yours now."

"I'll do my best. Pikachu, Quick Attack Ekans back into Koffing."

Pikachu ran forward and slammed into Ekans, throwing him back into Koffing's floating form. They landed in a heap in front of their trainers.

"Now use the best Thundershock you can muster."

Pikachu sparked his cheeks for a good five seconds before releasing a huge burst of electricity straight into the tangled figures. Both flew back into their respective trainers who were pushed out the door from the impact. Upon seeing their unconscious Pokémon, they recalled them and grabbed onto the rope hanging from their balloon.

"You haven't seen the last of us," said Jessie.

"You'll regret the day you messed with Team Rocket," James added.

A few seconds later they both disappeared into the night sky.

Nurse Joy turned to look at the two boys. "I want to thank you on behalf of all the Pokémon that are recovering here. I'll also treat Charmander right away."

Kyle gave her Charmander's pokéball. "Thanks Nurse Joy. I'll pick him up in the morning."

Both the boys headed off to bed, worn out from the day's excitement. Little did they know the journey ahead would be just as full of excitement.

* * *

A/N: So that's chapter 2. A problem i had with the original series is that as a gym leader, Misty should be more powerful than she shows herself to be. She is older than the boys and obviously knows how to battle. I also included a way for Misty to join them since Ash no longer owes her a bike. I debated destroying the bike another way but this was easier. Also i wanted a way to include the concept of TM's as Kyle's style will be based on using many different moves of different types while Ash is still based on weird strategy so i came up with the booklets. Jessie and James are somewhat powerful but will soon start losing more easily as the group gains experience.


	4. Chapter 3: The Forest and the Samurai

**Chapter 3-Viridian Forest and the Samurai**

Ash and Kyle were up later than planned the next morning but both woke refreshed. They packed up their stuff and Kyle picked up Charmander from Nurse Joy. They met Misty as promised in the lobby and set off towards the north side of town.

"So where to, Kyle?" asked Misty.

"Well we don't have any Pokémon we can fly on so we have to go through Viridian forest to get to our next gym."

"Through…through the forest?" she said, her voice quavering a bit.

Kyle picked up on her tone and dropped back a bit as he let Ash lead the way. "What's wrong with the forest?"

She turned to him and said, "It's full of bugs and I HATE bugs, they creep me out."

Kyle saw it was hard enough for her to admit weakness and so he refrained from poking fun. Instead he pulled out a ball and released Charmander. "Here. I don't plan on catching any bug types except maybe Scyther so I'll keep Charmander out and he can Ember any that get near. That ok?"

She smiled gratefully at him. "Yeah that's better, thanks."

Ash turned back and saw them lagging back. "Come on you guys, hurry up. We have badges to earn and I have Pokémon to catch!" He took off running into the forest.

Kyle sighed. "Well we better catch him before he gets lost or something."

They took off after him and they all ran deeper into the forest in search of adventure. Along the way, Kyle spoke to Misty about their encounter with Team Rocket the previous night. Misty gasped at the mention of the criminal organisation but then felt better when he described how Pikachu had blasted them through the door.

They also spoke of how they planned to train. Misty seemed interested in the way Kyle planned to teach his Pokémon as many moves as possible, both to continually surprise his opponents with moves not commonly found but also to be able to take on any type disadvantages.

She spoke of how she would teach all her water types every water move they could learn first and then maybe some unusual ones to cover a weakness or two. An example being psychic moves for Starmie that could be used to turn electric attacks back and to have something against grass types.

They had wandered for only 20 minutes or so when they found their first wild Pokémon in the forest.

It was obvious that Misty spotted it first by the vice-grip she had on Kyle's arm. But Ash spotted it next, a small green caterpillar-like bug with yellow legs.

"Oh cool, a Caterpie! Look out Caterpie, you're mine. Pikachu Tackle."

Pikachu looked at Ash disbelievingly. "_There is no way I'm fighting that little guy. Just throw a ball."_

"Fine then," said Ash. "Pokéball go!"

He threw a ball at the Caterpie who quickly got sucked in. The ball shook a few times, indicating Caterpie put up at least some struggle but it was unsuccessful as the ball grew still.

"Alright! I got a Caterpie!" Ash jumped around, doing circles and waving the ball out. "Come on out," he said, releasing Caterpie. Misty shivered, still holding on to Kyle and hiding behind him.

Kyle knelt down and whispered some instructions into Charmander's ear. The flame Pokémon nodded and stepped in front of them, just in case.

The little green Pokémon materialized and looked at Ash, then at Pikachu who stood next to him. He jumped up happily and Ash talked to his new bug type through Pikachu for a minute. Suddenly Caterpie spotted Misty and took off running at her. She grabbed Kyle's arm tighter, cutting off his circulation but Charmander stepped forward and asked Caterpie to leave them alone. He accentuated this by holding out his claws.

Caterpie seemed to take the warning seriously and turned and went back to Ash who looked at Kyle curiously. Kyle shook his head at him and mouthed 'Later'. Then Kyle turned around and said, "If you grab on any tighter, I might lose my arm," in a joking manner.

Misty blushed and let go of his arm quickly. She stayed red for a while as they continued on through the forest, spotting more Caterpie here and there as well as a couple Metapod but either Ash or Kyle fought them off. Ash let Spearow get some practice against these other bugs while Kyle spread the battles out between Charmander and Pidgey.

Ash also let Pikachu practice trying to use Iron Tail on any rocks along their path. Occasionally Pikachu could turn his tail metallic but it wouldn't stay hard long enough to swing into an object and on the few times it did, it didn't have the power to make a dent. Pikachu however kept at it the whole way and progress was steady, if slow.

Soon enough they came upon a Pidgeotto who was hunting another Caterpie. Ash stepped forward for this battle. "Pikachu, protect that Caterpie with a Thundershock."

Pikachu jumped at Pidgeotto and let loose his electric blast. The Thundershock hit Pidgeotto directly but as a second stage evolution, it was stronger than any Pidgey. Pidgeotto shook off the Thundershock and took off, swinging around and throwing a Gust at Pikachu who dug his paws into the ground. He weathered the Gust attack but then had to dodge the bird that decided to try a Tackle.

"Pikachu, wait until he passes again then dodge with Quick Attack and get on his back. Then use Thundershock again." Ash commanded.

Pikachu took this a little more creatively and used Quick Attack to jump off a tree trunk and backflip in the air onto the swooping Pidgeotto and then unleashed a potent shock into the bird. Pidgeotto screeched in pain then dropped to the ground. As it was falling, Pikachu did some more acrobatics and flipped off with a spin, corkscrewing through the air to land on a nearby rock.

"Great job, Pikachu. Pokéball, Go!" He threw a pokéball at the weakened Pidgeotto and watch the long struggle before it went still. "Cool! I caught a Pidgeotto!"

"But you already have a flying type…" Kyle said, confused.

"Yes well I think I'll send it to the professor to take care of when we reach Pewter city," Ash explained.

"Well I just thought of this now but why not just sent it to him now? Use the transport function on your Pokedex."

"Oh yeah! I'll do that." Ash pulled out the Pokedex and selected Pidgeotto's ball then he pushed the transport button. The ball glowed white and then disappeared.

"Well let's keep going, we have more Pokémon to find."

A new voice broke the silence. "So, we meet again."

Ash turned towards the sound of the voice, growling, "That better not be who I think it is."

Three figures came out of the shadows and began to speak.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie"

"James"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right."

All three of them posed to end their motto.

"Not this again…" Ash complained. "Didn't we get rid of you three already?"

"I told you that you hadn't seen the last of us. Now hand over that Pikachu or we will be forced to use violence," said James, holding out a pokéball.

"Why do you think I would just hand over Pikachu when we can just beat you again?" said Ash confidently, pulling out his own pokéball.

Kyle stepped up and pulled a pokéball off his belt as well.

James smirked. "Because you both got lucky last time but now we're ready for you."

Meowth had snuck up behind them and attacked Pikachu. Jessie and James used this distraction to call out Koffing and Ekans. Misty grabbed her own ball. "I'll handle Meowth, you two deal with them."

Ash looked worried but then nodded to her and turned around. "Spearow, come on out."

Kyle threw his own ball, "You too Pidgey."

Pidgey and Spearow both appeared in front of the trainers.

Ash started first this time. "Spearow, use Peck on Koffing."

"Pidgey, hit that Ekans with a Gust attack."

Pidgey had trained to increase speed and launched the Gust before a counter could be ordered. Ekans flew backwards and hissed in pain but got up quickly.

Spearow however, had not practiced with speed and James ordered Koffing to use Poison Gas. Spearow flew through the gas and coughed, becoming poisoned. Spearow flew back to Ash but coughed again and lost some altitude.

"Grrr," said Ash. "Spearow, return. Caterpie, you're up."

Caterpie came out in front of Ash and looked at his two opponents.

"Pidgey, blow away that gas and use Tackle on Koffing."

"Caterpie, Tackle Ekans now."

Both Pokémon charged forward in a Tackle.

"Koffing use Counter."

Kyle's eyes widened. Despite being a fighting type move, it would still do Pidgey some damage.

"Ekans, use Poison Sting."

Koffing executed Counter, sending Pidgey back to Kyle and Ekans' Poison Sting threw Caterpie on top of him. Pidgey and Caterpie looked at each other and their gaze became one of determination.

"Now do you surrender?" asked Jessie.

Ash clenched his hands and held out a pokéball to recall Caterpie but Kyle stopped him. They both looked down to see their Pokémon glowing. Caterpie used a String Shot into the air and Pidgey began to grow. When the light died down, a Metapod stood where Caterpie had been and Pidgey had been replaced with Pidgeotto.

Ash and Kyle traded smiles. "No, we don't surrender. Pidgeotto, use Whirlwind."

Pidgeotto flapped her large wings and pushed Koffing and Ekans back towards Jessie and James.

"Metapod, use String Shot. Bind them."

Metapod spat string all over the Pokémon and their trainers, tying them up. Suddenly a very wet Meowth flew over their heads and landed on the tied up criminals. The boys turned to see a smirking Misty and Staryu standing there. Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder.

"Pikachu, finish them off with a Thundershock."

"_Once again it would be my pleasure."_

Pikachu jumped off and shot a powerful bolt at the wet Meowth who then transferred it to the stringy mass underneath him. Jessie and James shrieked in pain as they were electrocuted again by Pikachu. They untangled themselves and once again took off running.

"We'll be back again," they screamed.

Ash, Kyle and Misty watched in amusement as they vanished off in the distance.

"Well I think that's a mission well accomplished. What say we find a nice clearing to camp out in?" Kyle asked the other two.

Both agreed and they all found a nice secluded clearing nearby. As they unrolled their sleeping bags, Kyle found some firewood and began to make a small fire. Then he pulled out some food to throw over the flames. He unpacked a pack of hotdogs and some buns. He roasted them and handed them out to the other two. Then he called out Pidgeotto and gave her and Charmander some food as well. He passed some to Ash as well.

Kyle also asked Charmander to sleep out of his ball to make sure the bugs stayed away from Misty. For one he didn't want to wake up to her screaming and for another, he was developing a soft spot for her. Misty flashed him another smile when Charmander snuggled up to her as they went to sleep.

* * *

It was an early start the next morning and they had a quick breakfast. As they started to walk, Ash continued to work with Pikachu on Iron Tail, trying to use it on every Caterpie or Metapod they came across.

Kyle had also released Pidgeotto and tried to get her to turn her newly learned Wing Attack into a Steel Wing. It was a gruelling process but she was making progress on it. More often than not, she couldn't hold the metallic nature of her wing and ended up hurting herself. Kyle had used more than one potion to heal her wings as they walked.

They walked along fighting Pokémon for about an hour until they heard some rustling in the bushes. Then the sound came again in a different direction. Kyle heard it again behind him and spun around to find a sword in his face. He reacted on instinct, batting it away and spinning, planting a kick straight into the chest of the offending figure who flew backwards and landed on his back on the ground.

It was a young boy around their age, dressed in full samurai armour, including a horned helmet. On his back was strapped a bud catching net. "Woah, easy there, I was only trying to surprise you," he said holding his empty hands in front of him. "Are any of you, by chance, from the town of Pallet?"

Kyle crossed his arms as the samurai got up. "Depends who's asking."

"I am Samurai, and I have made it my goal to test the strength of each new trainer out of Pallet as they pass through these woods. So far I have been defeated by two trainers and I was told there were two more travelling together."

"Yeah that's us," said Ash. "Are you challenging us to a Pokémon match?"

"I am. To properly judge how far you've come, I must test your starter against one of my bug Pokémon."

"Alright you're on. Pikachu, you're up." Pikachu jumped forwards. "If Gary and Grace beat him, then so can we."

"_I do hope you're making a plan."_

"Go, Pinsir," said Samurai, throwing a pokéball. A large brown Pokémon with huge pincers as horns came out which Ash quickly scanned with his Pokedex.

Kyle assumed the position of referee once again. "This is a one on one match between Samurai of Viridian Forest and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Begin."

"Let's avoid those pincers, Pikachu. Use Thundershock."

Pikachu let out his blast of electricity but Pinsir dug his feet into the ground and took the attack without too much damage.

"Pinsir, use Tackle then Vice Grip."

Pinsir charged forward with impressive speed, tackling Pikachu hard and then moving in with its large pincers.

"Quick Attack to dodge then get behind it and use Thunder Wave."

Pikachu darted out of the way just before being crushed. He sped around and sent a wave of paralysing energy at Pinsir's back. Pikachu surprised everybody when he jumped at Pinsir, spinning and slammed his glowing steel tail straight into its back.

"Woah! That's Iron Tail. You did it Pikachu! Now finish Pinsir with a Thundershock."

Pikachu launched the electric attack at the paralysed and stunned Pinsir who fell forward, unconscious.

"Pinsir, return."

"Pinsir is unable to battle, the winner is Ash," Kyle announced. Misty stepped up and took his place on the side of the field.

"Now it will be a one on one match between Samurai of Viridian Forest and Kyle Foster of Pallet Town. Call out your Pokémon."

Samurai started first. "Metapod, go!"

Kyle motioned to Charmander and he jumped onto the field. He wanted to be a little fairer to Samurai and Metapod and decided not to use any fire attacks.

"Begin," called Misty from the side.

Kyle decided to test if Samurai had caught Metapod or evolved it. "Charmander, use Scratch."

Charmander rushed forward, claws out.

"Metapod, Harden."

"Charmander, switch to Metal Claw."

Charmander swung hard metal claws at the hardened Metapod, making a clanging sound on impact.

Seeing no counter was being ordered, Kyle went for the final blow. "Brick Break."

Charmander swung his powered up hands down on Metapod, knocking it into the ground a couple inches and knocking it out.

"Metapod is unable to battle, Kyle is the victor."

Samurai recalled Metapod and approached the two trainers. "You both are pretty good trainers but I would say not quite to par with what I saw of the other two. With a little work you should reach their level, though it is impressive that Pikachu knows Iron Tail and that you have taught your Charmander Brick Break. I bid you both farewell and good luck. Perhaps we will meet again someday and have a full and proper battle."

He shook hands with both trainers and walked into the forest and out of sight. Misty, who had been off to the side, re-joined them and they walked on along the path.

They continued on until about noon and then stopped for lunch. Along the way Pikachu continued to work on Iron Tail and Pidgeotto on Steel Wing. Pikachu had managed it once but lacked the stamina to use it for longer than a few seconds with a long break before using it again. Pidgeotto had made more progress and had learned the move just before they stopped but then ran into the same problem as Pikachu.

After a hearty lunch they continued on, a bit more than halfway through the forest if their map was right. Misty was used to all the Caterpie and Metapod by now and didn't jump every one they ran into but she latched on to Kyle's arm again when she was the first to spot a new Pokémon. It was small and orange with a stinger on its head. Kyle reacted quickly. "Ember attack."

Charmander spat fireballs that sent the little Weedle running back into the forest.

"Hey! I would've caught that!" said Ash. "Why'd you scare it away?"

Kyle discreetly removed Misty's hand from his arm. "Oh sorry, but maybe there's more in the direction it ran. Let's go after it," he said, evading the question. It really was a miracle he hadn't noticed Misty's jumpy behaviour by now.

"Ya, ok. I want a Weedle."

Kyle flashed an apologetic look back at Misty who glared at him at the prospect of actively LOOKING for more bugs. They followed Ash in the direction of the fleeing Weedle and found him behind a bush at the edge of a clearing around the base of a tree. There were in fact many Weedle around the tree and Ash looked like a child in a candy store.

Kyle however, thought it was a little weird for all these Weedle to be alone around a tree so he looked up and Misty followed his gaze. Hanging from the tree were dozens of Kakuna and higher still were Beedrills, resting in the upper branches. Misty took in a big breath but Kyle clamped a hand over her mouth to keep the sound in. He held it there until she calmed down and they both looked towards Ash who was removing a pokéball.

Kyle didn't know what a horde of angry Beedrill looked like but it wasn't a sight he ever wanted to see for himself. He ran and tackled Ash to the ground, making sure to also cover his mouth. With a finger to his lips, he pointed up. Ash looked up and his face took on a look of pure horror. He began to panic and Kyle dragged him back to where Misty was and he pulled them both quietly back the way they had come.

Ash waited until they were well away from there to let out his breath. When he did, it came out in a tide of words. "Oh goodness that was close, I don't want to fight a bunch of Beedrills even if I do catch one. Wandering into a hive like that has probably even killed rookie trainers before. Never again. I don't even want a Weedle anymore, let's just get out of here and on to the next town."

Finally having all that out of his system, he sucked in deep breaths. Misty gave Kyle a look that said he would be castrated and hung if he ever got a bright idea like going into a bug hive again.

They walked on down the path and didn't stop until close to nightfall. Even then, they took great care to find a well-hidden place to camp out for the night. They ate a cold meal, not wanting to attract anything with a fire and none of them could sleep for a while after that.

Misty had the most trouble and couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She finally pulled her sleeping bag closer to the boys before she could get any semblance of sleep.

* * *

Nearby in the hedges, something was indeed watching the group of trainers. A pair of eyes watched them slumber for a few more minutes and then the figure glowed white softly and disappeared. The floating figure reappeared in a room far above. It was small and blue with two tails, ending in three spikes. Its yellow head had a small red jewel in it that glinted in the dim light. The figure floated through a door on the side of room into a darker room where another figure sat on a throne in contemplation.

"What news do you have for me, Uxie?" it spoke quietly.

The floating figure bowed. "As you have asked, I watched the progress of the one known as Ash and his companion. They have made it most of the way through the forest with few difficulties. I almost had to step in when they encountered a Beedrill hive but my assistance proved unnecessary. The Chosen One's guardian showed his intelligence and prevented an encounter," it reported. "They have been joined by another trainer and they should reach their first test of strength in the morning. Their Aura abilities have not yet manifested past understanding their closest Pokémon. Other than that, everything is progressing smoothly."

The figure on the throne pondered this information for several minutes. Finally it nodded and replied, "You have done well, my friend. Their Aura is nothing to worry about and will develop with time. I believe they will be safe for the next little while so you may return to your lake."

Uxie bowed again, "Yes, Arceus." It floated out of the room before glowing again, teleporting home.

Arceus bowed his head, silently wishing the trainers luck.

* * *

A/N: So that was my next chapter. I'm far enough ahead to be confident I wont change much in it and for those who still don't see a plot, that's because I haven't put it in yet. It will come into play in a couple chapters where the reason for their journey will be revealed. Other than if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.


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